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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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. content — happy
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — the month
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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