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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. swing — to play on
  3. board — a committee
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. field — for sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — to come from
  17. board — to get on
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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