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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. file — a tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. tear — from crying
  6. file — a document
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — to go on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — help
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — gave birth

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