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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. date — the fruit
  6. roll — a list
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. foot — a measure
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pass — a permit
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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