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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — the season
  3. scale — in music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — of water
  11. mate — a partner
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — to breed
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. shower — to wash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. roll — on a roll

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