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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cue — a hint
  5. shower — rain
  6. face — to confront
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. toast — bread
  14. face — to point toward
  15. shower — to wash
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — a signal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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