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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. firm — steady
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mate — to breed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chest — a box
  24. saw — the tool

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