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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. march — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. root — of a word
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — the cause
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — there
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — a box
  21. lean — thin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — a gift
  24. racket — for tennis

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