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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rock — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. hand — help
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — a line
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. suit — to fit
  24. row — to paddle

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