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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fall — the season
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — to drop

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