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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. stand — to bear
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. date — the fruit

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