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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. roll — a cake
  6. file — a document
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stand — to bear
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to click
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. roll — a list
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a line of people

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