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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rock — music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — the fruit
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — farmland
  18. mate — to breed
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to click
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — a trainer

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