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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. current — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kick — in football
  9. last — final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — happening now
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — army training
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. toast — bread
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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