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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. content — the amount
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. content — happy
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — letters
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — a short time

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