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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: rest · court · swing · date · deal · cell · bark · firm

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. firm — steady
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. firm — a company
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — to play on
  9. firm — decided
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rest — a break
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. court — of law
  18. cell — in biology
  19. swing — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — to handle

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