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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — finally
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — high quality
  10. vault — a safe
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

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