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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · pit · perch · content · rest · track · date · last

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — final
  8. content — happy
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. content — the amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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