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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wind — moving air
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. game — a match
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chair — a leader
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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