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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. club — for dancing
  16. can — a tin
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. club — for golf
  19. can — to be able to
  20. last — finally
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — a tool
  24. club — a group

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