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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — in football
  6. face — to point toward
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. face — to confront
  11. capital — money
  12. face — part of the head
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. drill — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lie — to recline
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. row — a quarrel

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