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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — for pool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cue — a hint

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