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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fan — a supporter

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