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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cell — in biology
  4. drill — army training
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. object — to protest
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. firm — a company
  12. object — an aim
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  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