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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. shower — rain
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — to point toward
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. date — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — there
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — the time now
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. shower — to wash

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