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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. calf — of the leg

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