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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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Word bank
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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chair — a leader
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. roll — a cake
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — a list
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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