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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chest — of your body
  4. date — the fruit
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — a country
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — in football
  10. pit — in a race
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — with a leg

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