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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: rest · deal · net · date · chair · ball · stem · drill

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. date — the fruit
  5. drill — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — for catching
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. deal — to handle
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. net — after costs
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — a leader
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — army training
  24. ball — a great time

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