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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pass — a permit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pop — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pop — soda
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pop — to visit

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