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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rule — a law
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spell — letters
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — government
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rock — music
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. spell — a short time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — magic
  24. chest — of your body

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