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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: toast · bore · jam · pop · pit · date · spring · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pit — a hole
  3. game — wild animals
  4. toast — bread
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — of water
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — soda
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. pit — in a race
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pop — to visit
  24. game — a kind of play

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