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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — a container
  12. last — final
  13. land — ground
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — to come down
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bay — a horse colour

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