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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — a list
  7. fall — the season
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — the fruit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. roll — a cake

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