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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. track — a song
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a path

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