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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — music
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — to visit
  19. content — happy
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pop — soda
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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