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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: mine · fork · present · deal · safe · date · pop · lash

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. present — the time now
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. present — there
  14. pop — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. present — a gift

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