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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a committee
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chest — a box
  18. board — to get on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. plane — a tool

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