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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pass — a permit
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. suit — to fit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — happy
  19. suit — clothes
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — an amount
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — for digging

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