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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — music
  9. object — an aim
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — in music
  14. object — to protest
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. object — a thing
  18. content — the amount
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. coach — a trainer

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