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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. scale — in music
  3. hand — help
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a document
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. file — a tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rest — a break
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. spell — magic

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