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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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 — on the calendar
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. band — a ring
  5. ground — the earth
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ground — crushed
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ground — a position
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. bat — 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