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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. leaves — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — low music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. field — farmland
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to click

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