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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. date — the fruit
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bat — the animal

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