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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — in music
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — a match
  8. content — happy
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rule — a law
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — size or range
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the fish
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. content — the amount
  23. bass — low music
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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