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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — magic
  7. march — music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a match
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — a kind of play

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