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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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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 · trunk · jam · lie · rash · game · cap · bat

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a hat
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cap — a lid
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — a series
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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