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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — to tire
  5. date — the fruit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. press — to push
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — newspapers
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — in a race
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cue — for pool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. 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