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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — government
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. date — the fruit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — a law
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — happy
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — of the leg

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