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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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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 · date · fan · bay · racket · firm · pound · land

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. land — to come down
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cell — a phone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. land — a country
  17. firm — decided
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. firm — steady
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. firm — a company
  23. land — ground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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