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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — for digging
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. date — the fruit
  7. snap — to click
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — to come down
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. race — humankind
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. race — a contest

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