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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — to come down
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. date — the fruit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. land — ground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — help
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. key — for a lock
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — a country

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