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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. land — to come down
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — music
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — ground
  24. date — on the calendar

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