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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  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