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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · cabinet · deal · ball · land · rush · content · date

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. content — the amount
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com