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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. branch — a division
  10. chest — a box
  11. rash — hasty
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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