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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — government
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — the season
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spring — a coil
  14. present — there
  15. rule — a law
  16. spring — of water
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hand — help
  21. present — the time now
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. hand — part of the body

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