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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. row — a line
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. land — a country
  12. row — to paddle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rule — a law
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — government
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. date — on the calendar

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