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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cold — not warm
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a music group
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — goods
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. can — to be able to

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