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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — finally
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. date — the fruit
  11. last — final
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — to go on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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