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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — a song
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — to rob
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — low music
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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