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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — there
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cue — for pool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. date — the fruit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stand — to bear
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cue — a signal
  14. present — the time now
  15. cue — a hint
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk

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