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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — of water
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spring — a coil

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