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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rule — a law
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. date — the fruit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — government
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to sink

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