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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — the fish
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — a city
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — a country

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