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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: last · straw · pop · object · mine · land · date · bowl

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — finally
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — to go on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pop — soda
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. object — an aim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — a country
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — final
  23. mine — for digging
  24. object — to protest

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