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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bound — certain
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chest — a box

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