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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — to recline
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — employees
  24. fork — in a road

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