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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · date · present · bat · rule · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rule — government
  6. cap — a hat
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rule — a law
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — there

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