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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — in a race
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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