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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — a country
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pop — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — to visit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. kid — to tease
  24. date — the fruit

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