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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — to tease
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stand — to bear
  5. race — humankind
  6. key — in music
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. date — the fruit
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. key — the most important part
  20. race — a contest
  21. plane — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — child

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