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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — a box
  13. date — the fruit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bound — certain
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lie — an untruth

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