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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — in football
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — the fruit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. hand — help
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. row — a line
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. face — to confront
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wake — a trail
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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