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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. track — to keep track
  4. squash — the sport
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chest — a box
  9. suit — to fit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a song
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. object — a thing
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — the vegetable

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