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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cap — of ice
  5. toast — bread
  6. object — a thing
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — electricity
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. charge — in control
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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