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

Word bank: ground · date · tear · hide · toast · hand · rest · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — a break
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — bread
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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