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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tube — a container
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. track — a song
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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