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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bound — tied together
  5. file — a line of people
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. file — a document
  10. scale — in music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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