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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tube — the underground
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — to be able to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitch — completely
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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