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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — to go on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a document
  6. cue — a hint
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — final
  12. file — a tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cap — a hat
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. field — for sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cap — of ice
  24. date — on the calendar

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