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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — magic
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — a law
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. court — of a king
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — certain
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — for sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. court — of law
  21. cell — a phone
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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