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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rule — government
  3. suit — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hand — in cards
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. suit — clothes
  14. date — the fruit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ball — a great time
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rule — a law
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a dance
  24. drill — the tool

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