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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. date — the fruit
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — goods
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. pass — a permit
  18. toast — bread
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — rain

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