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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. club — a group
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chip — for betting
  18. shower — to wash
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — for dancing

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