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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rash — a series
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — final
  21. fine — all right
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bark — to shout

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