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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — wild animals
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. game — a match
  19. rest — what's left
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — a practice

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