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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.

Make a worksheet

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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bass — low music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a document
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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