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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. roll — a list
  2. pound — a weight
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — of the year
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. season — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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