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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — a hat
  3. date — the fruit
  4. toast — bread
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. content — happy
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. date — on the calendar

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