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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cap — of ice
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — finally
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — final
  18. spring — the season
  19. cap — a hat
  20. court — of law
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. safe — a strongbox

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