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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ground — the earth
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bound — certain
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — a box
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — the month
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ground — a position

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