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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fork — in a road
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — the fruit
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kick — in football
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mark — a grade

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