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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — a measure
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. sharp — clever
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. date — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. foot — part of the body

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