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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — farmland
  3. firm — a company
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — decided
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — steady
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — for sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. key — in music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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