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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — low music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — finally
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. face — part of the head
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — final
  21. face — to confront
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. board — to get on

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