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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — a gift
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — to roll

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