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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — to go on
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — finally
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — final

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