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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. current — happening now
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. current — of water
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spell — magic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — the month
  15. last — final
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — electric
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. march — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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