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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. race — a contest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — humankind
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — completely
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. saw — the tool

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