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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chair — a leader
  6. sharp — clever
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. land — to come down
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. land — ground
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. land — a country
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. safe — out of danger

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