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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to sink
  3. last — finally
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — in sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — shares
  10. can — a tin
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — final
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — child
  18. stock — goods
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — to go on
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — to dunk

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