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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cell — in biology
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kick — in football
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. vault — a safe
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — a straw man

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