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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cap — a lid
  17. content — the amount
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. object — an aim
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fall — to drop

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