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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — obliged
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — the cause
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. root — of a word
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. content — the amount

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