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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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. object — an aim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — help
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. object — a thing
  22. craft — boats
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pit — in a race

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