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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — in sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — after costs
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — a break
  18. bound — certain
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — for catching
  24. bear — the animal

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