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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. date — the fruit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. club — a group
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — for golf
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — help
  20. dip — to sink
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — in football
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. club — for dancing

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