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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chest — a box
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lie — to recline
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. safe — a strongbox

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