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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. date — the fruit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. last — final
  7. spell — magic
  8. last — to go on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. face — to confront
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. court — for sport
  16. last — finally
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — letters
  23. court — of a king
  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