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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — final
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — army training
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — a box
  12. court — of law
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rule — government
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. suit — clothes
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — finally
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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