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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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Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — a contest
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — a gift
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. club — a group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. date — the fruit
  11. race — humankind
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — for golf
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. root — of a word
  18. race — the arms race
  19. present — there
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. root — the cause

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