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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bank — for money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — for money
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chair — to sit on

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