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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — of a king
  18. mug — a face
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mug — a cup
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — not warm

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