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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rule — a law
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. date — on the calendar

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