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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — a gift
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cue — a signal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. present — the time now
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. present — there
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cue — a hint
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cue — for pool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. plane — in geometry

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