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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. face — to confront
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pass — a permit
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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