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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of a king
  3. rash — a series
  4. roll — a list
  5. date — the fruit
  6. court — of law
  7. object — an aim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — to protest
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. object — a thing
  20. stand — to bear
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stand — on your feet

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