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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. last — to go on
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — money
  9. chest — a box
  10. net — after costs
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. last — final
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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