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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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468
Word bank
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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kid — child
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lie — to recline
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. band — a music group
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. kick — in football

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