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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. date — the fruit
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cell — in biology
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bulb — for light
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. current — happening now
  24. arm — part of the body

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