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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. face — to confront
  12. bank — of a river
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rule — government
  19. tear — from crying
  20. degree — from a university
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. tear — to rip

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