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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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. wound — an injury
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rest — a break
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rest — what's left
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — a company
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wound — an injury
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. firm — decided

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