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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — boats
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. date — the fruit
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. tube — the underground
  15. race — the arms race
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — humankind
  24. bowl — a dish

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