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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. row — a line
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pit — a hole
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — bread
  21. press — to push
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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