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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · march · stick · date · ground · present · fine · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — a gift
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. game — a match
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. march — music
  14. ground — a position
  15. fine — all right
  16. present — there
  17. fine — high quality
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. march — the month
  20. game — wild animals
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. date — the fruit
  24. present — the time now

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