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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. game — a match
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — happy
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. roll — a list
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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