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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: snap · date · foot · cell · hide · rash · mark · capital

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. capital — a city
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rash — a series
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rash — hasty
  21. capital — money
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hide — animal skin

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