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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. track — a path
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — a song
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — the season
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. date — the fruit

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