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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — final
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spell — a short time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — finally
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rest — a break
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spell — letters
  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