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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: date · ground · bat · bore · fork · mine · mark · scale

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. scale — in music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bore — to tire
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bore — gave birth

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