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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a list
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — in cards
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. foot — a measure
  21. roll — a cake
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. foot — part of the body

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