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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. roll — a list
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. shower — rain
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pass — a permit
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fork — to eat with

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