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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mug — to rob
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mug — a face
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — shares
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — a series
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — hasty
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. date — the fruit

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