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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: mine · kick · last · rule · bay · date · saw · trunk

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rule — government
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. last — finally
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. date — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. last — to go on
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. date — on the calendar

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