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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — for sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rest — a break
  13. cap — of ice
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spring — of water
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. court — of a king
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — of law
  24. fork — in a road

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