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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — to confront
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ground — crushed
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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