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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — the season
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — a coil
  7. charge — a price
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a leader
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spring — of water
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — a sports field

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