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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — to crush
  5. present — the time now
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. present — a gift
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. present — there
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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