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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. land — a country
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chair — a leader
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kid — to tease
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — ground
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — child
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. kick — in football
  24. date — the fruit

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