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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fall — the season
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pit — a hole
  17. shower — rain
  18. fall — to drop

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