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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cell — in biology
  9. game — a match
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spell — letters
  13. toast — bread
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — to come from

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