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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — all right
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pit — in a race
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — child
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fan — a supporter

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