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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. race — humankind
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — a position
  16. race — a contest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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