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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. charge — in control
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. shower — to wash
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — rain
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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