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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. capital — money
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — for catching
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. capital — a city
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — an injury
  24. season — of the year

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