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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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. tear — to rip
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — a video
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — a short time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tear — from crying
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — letters
  18. kick — in football
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rule — a law
  24. tear — from crying

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