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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — finally
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. file — a line of people
  5. last — final
  6. fall — to drop
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a dance

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