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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pop — soda
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pop — music
  7. capital — money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — boats
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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