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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — temperature
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. clip — for paper

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