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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. date — the fruit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ball — a dance
  13. face — to confront
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. face — to point toward
  18. race — a contest
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. jam — a tight spot

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