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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. game — wild animals
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — money
  15. field — a subject
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a match
  18. present — there
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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