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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. last — to go on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — finally
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — final
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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