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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: root · jam · date · kick · fan · cold · lie · rule

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. cold — not warm
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kick — in football
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lie — to recline
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — the cause
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — the Cold War

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