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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. land — ground
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitch — completely
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cap — a hat
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pound — a weight
  22. land — to come down
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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