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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. date — the fruit
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — the season
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kick — in football
  10. track — a path
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a song
  24. foot — the bottom

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