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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a match
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — wild animals

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