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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. staff — a stick
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. charge — a price
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. charge — electricity
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — the most admired

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