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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. roll — a cake
  10. capital — a city
  11. kick — in football
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. capital — a big letter

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