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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — a container
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rest — a break
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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