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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: date · chest · deal · racket · branch · scale · foot · sharp

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. branch — of a bank
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chest — a box
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. foot — the bottom
  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