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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to drill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rule — a law
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — help
  18. chest — a box
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rule — government
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. date — on the calendar

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