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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — to breed
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — a cup
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mug — a face
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. charge — a price
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. charge — in control
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — of the 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