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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. present — there
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. present — a gift
  7. rash — a series
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. present — the time now
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — of the year
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — a video
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pass — to spend time

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