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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. craft — a skill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — not warm
  7. date — the fruit
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. craft — boats
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cold — an illness
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. jam — in traffic

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