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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. shower — to wash
  8. date — the fruit
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — ground
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. shower — rain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bank — of a river
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — a country
  24. sharp — clever

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