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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. snap — to click
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — a list
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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