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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — a stick
  7. track — a path
  8. lie — to recline
  9. face — to point toward
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — to keep track
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. swing — to play 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