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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. foot — a measure
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. date — the fruit
  8. last — finally
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — final
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — to wash
  18. scale — size or range
  19. last — to go on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — a supporter

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