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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cell — a phone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. suit — in cards
  9. chest — a box
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — a weight
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — a football final

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