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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — for catching
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. band — a music group
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a ring
  19. net — after costs
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. content — the amount

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