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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hand — help
  4. season — in sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. toast — bread
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — a company
  13. rush — hurry
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. firm — decided
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. firm — steady
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. season — of the year

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