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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. race — a contest
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. tube — the underground
  18. race — the arms race
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — bread
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. firm — steady

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