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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — obliged
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to point toward
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — certain
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of law
  24. fall — the season

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