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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. date — the fruit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — child
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kid — to tease

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