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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wind — moving air
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — a stick
  12. swing — music
  13. staff — employees
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. swing — to play on
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chest — a box
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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