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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chip — to eat
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. shower — rain
  11. rash — hasty
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rash — a series
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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