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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. track — a song
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. snap — to click
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. foot — a measure
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — a path
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — humankind
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — to paddle

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