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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — ground
  8. last — final
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rest — what's left
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — to go on
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cap — a lid
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — the fish
  21. date — the fruit
  22. last — finally
  23. bass — low music
  24. fine — a penalty

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