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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. season — of the year
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — a tool

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