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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pit — a hole
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. row — to paddle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. root — the cause
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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