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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pit — a hole
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cap — of ice
  9. net — after costs
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — for catching
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pit — in a race
  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