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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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 — on the calendar
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. date — the fruit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — to rob
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. file — a tool
  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