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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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