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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pop — soda
  3. mug — a cup
  4. roll — a cake
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. roll — a list
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pop — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — to visit
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mug — a face
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bowl — to roll

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