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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. track — a path
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. date — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a song
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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