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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. race — humankind
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. race — a contest
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. sharp — clever
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — in a race
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rest — a break
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rash — a series
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. dip — a sauce

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