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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. craft — boats
  9. can — a tin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pop — soda
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — in sport
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. suit — to fit
  22. chest — a box
  23. pop — to visit
  24. suit — clothes

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