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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chest — a box
  13. pound — a weight
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hand — help
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chair — to sit on

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