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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. staff — employees
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — child
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pit — a hole
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — all right
  18. fan — a supporter

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