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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — the fruit
  5. ground — the earth
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. suit — in cards
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — a contest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. suit — to fit
  24. ground — crushed

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