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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. content — happy
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kid — child
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — the amount
  24. deal — a big deal

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