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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. scale — in music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mine — belonging to me

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