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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mug — to rob
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. key — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. capital — a city
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bark — to shout
  24. capital — a big letter

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