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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. squash — the sport
  5. toast — bread
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — a path
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. ground — a position
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — the animal

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