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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. firm — decided
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. firm — a company
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — the amount
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — steady
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. date — the fruit
  20. land — ground
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in biology
  24. date — on the calendar

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