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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tube — the underground
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — a city
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bound — obliged
  16. date — the fruit
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — for digging
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. capital — money
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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