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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cell — a phone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — a grade
  11. date — the fruit
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mate — a friend
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — child
  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