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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. kick — in football
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fine — all right
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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