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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — a cake
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. roll — a list
  14. date — the fruit
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — in cards
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. jam — in traffic

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