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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — a coil
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. object — to protest
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. object — a thing
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. object — an aim
  10. date — the fruit
  11. board — a committee
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spring — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — of water
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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