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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stand — to bear
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. kid — child
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mate — a friend
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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