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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. roll — a list
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — a series
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. date — the fruit
  24. arm — part of the body

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