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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spell — letters
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spell — magic
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — part of the head
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to confront
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — on the calendar

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