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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — government
  4. roll — a list
  5. rule — a law
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — in cards
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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