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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kid — to tease
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — a hole
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kid — child
  24. chest — a box

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