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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pound — a weight
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rule — government
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — in football
  21. rule — a law
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. coach — a trainer

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