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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — a grade
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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