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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: can · trunk · cell · dip · date · snap · deal · chair

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — to sink
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. can — a tin
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. snap — to click
  24. date — the fruit

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