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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: cell · foot · firm · present · pop · cap · date · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — steady
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. present — the time now
  5. pop — music
  6. present — a gift
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pop — soda
  15. firm — decided
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — of ice
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — a phone
  21. firm — a company
  22. present — there
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hand — part of the body

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