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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — a trainer

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