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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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. mark — a trace
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — the season
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. race — humankind
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fine — all right
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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