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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. toast — bread
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. firm — decided
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — to be able to
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — steady
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. firm — a company
  24. bowl — a dish

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