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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. present — there
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. present — the time now
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. present — a gift
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — a container

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