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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. file — a line of people
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a document
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. press — to push
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — a publisher
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — for digging

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