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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cue — a hint
  4. kick — in football
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cue — a signal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kick — a thrill
  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