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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — on the calendar

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