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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. root — the cause
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. date — the fruit
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — in sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. root — of a word
  24. rash — hasty

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