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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wake — a trail
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — thin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cold — not warm

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