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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. file — a document
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — in football
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — final
  20. net — after costs
  21. last — to go on
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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