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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a committee
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pound — a weight
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. capital — a city
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kick — in football
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bat — for baseball

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