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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. face — to confront
  3. march — the month
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — goods
  6. march — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rule — a law
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — a subject
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. face — to point toward
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — farmland
  23. rule — government
  24. mouse — for a computer

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