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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. clip — to cut
  20. field — for sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. kick — in football
  24. field — a subject

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