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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. date — the fruit
  12. toast — bread
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. scale — in music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — the animal

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