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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. foot — a measure
  3. toast — bread
  4. bound — certain
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — to protest
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. court — for sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a leader
  15. object — an aim
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. object — a thing
  23. court — of a king
  24. chair — to sit on

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