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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — the time now
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chest — a box
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. date — the fruit
  21. present — a gift
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. present — there
  24. lean — to rest against

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