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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cap — a hat
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cap — a lid
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fine — all right
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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