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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. row — to paddle
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. row — a line
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. toast — bread
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — of ice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — for digging

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