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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bat — the animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. roll — a cake
  9. firm — a company
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. staff — employees
  16. mug — to rob
  17. staff — employees
  18. firm — decided
  19. roll — a list
  20. firm — steady
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mug — a face

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