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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. face — to confront
  5. rash — a series
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — final
  8. rash — hasty
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. present — there
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — a gift
  18. drill — army training
  19. date — the fruit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. present — the time now
  22. face — part of the head
  23. last — to go on
  24. date — on the calendar

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