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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lean — to bend
  5. swing — in golf
  6. net — for catching
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — to crush
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. swing — music

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