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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — part of the head
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — to confront
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — the fruit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. band — a ring
  18. march — the month
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. band — a music group
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. march — the month

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