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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kid — to tease
  4. suit — to fit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — the fruit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. key — for a lock
  17. suit — clothes
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — rain
  21. season — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. key — in music

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