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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. firm — steady
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — for light
  15. firm — a company
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cap — a hat
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. firm — decided
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wake — a trail

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