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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cue — a signal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cue — a hint
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. bear — the animal

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