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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — an aim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — of the year
  9. date — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. object — to protest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — to drop
  16. object — a thing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. season — to add flavour

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