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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: date · mine · hand · club · face · calf · rush · chair

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. hand — in cards
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. date — the fruit
  7. club — a group
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — for dancing
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rush — hurry
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. club — for golf
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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