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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. scale — in music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rash — a series

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