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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — in football
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bound — obliged
  7. roll — a list
  8. bound — tied together
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kick — a thrill

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