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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. land — ground
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pit — a hole
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mug — a face
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — in a race
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — a path
  16. kick — in football
  17. land — to come down
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. snap — to click
  24. kick — a thrill

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