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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bound — certain
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — an injury
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — to bend
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. roll — a list
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cell — in biology
  24. roll — on a roll

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