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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. object — to protest
  4. cell — a phone
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. object — an aim
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — bread
  11. chair — a leader
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. object — a thing
  14. game — wild animals
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cell — in biology
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. game — a match

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