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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — in sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. mine — for digging
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — a company
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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