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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chair — a leader
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — certain
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bound — tied together
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lie — to recline
  13. roll — a list
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bound — obliged
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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