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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — in sport
  5. bat — the animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — a contest
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. season — of the year
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cold — not warm
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. race — humankind

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