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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — a group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — a coil
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mug — to rob
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — of water
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — a face

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