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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
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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: ruler · pop · cell · pitcher · date · mate · chest · foot

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chest — a box
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — to visit
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a friend

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