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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. date — the fruit
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bowl — a dish

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