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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tear — to rip
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. date — on the calendar

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