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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. content — happy

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