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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. march — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. band — a ring
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. root — of a word

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