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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. club — for golf
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. object — to protest
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. object — a thing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — for dancing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — the season
  17. object — an aim
  18. kick — with a leg

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