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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rule — government
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — letters
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — of a plant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kid — child
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. root — of a word

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