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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chest — a box
  6. present — the time now
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hand — help
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. bound — certain
  18. can — to be able to
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — a tin

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