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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — rain
  9. field — farmland
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. date — the fruit
  16. hand — help
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. board — a committee

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