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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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