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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. tube — a container
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. firm — a company
  18. mate — a friend
  19. club — for golf
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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