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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of law
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. race — a contest
  15. can — a tin
  16. craft — a skill
  17. date — the fruit
  18. race — humankind
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — boats
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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