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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. content — happy
  11. object — to protest
  12. pop — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. object — an aim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. craft — boats
  17. object — a thing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pop — soda

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