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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — a list
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chest — a box
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  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