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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. date — the fruit
  11. current — happening now
  12. spell — a short time
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — of water
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spell — letters
  20. current — electric
  21. toast — bread
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — a line
  24. shower — rain

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