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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. snap — to click
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. root — of a plant
  10. suit — to fit
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — a city
  16. root — the cause
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. root — of a word
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. capital — money

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