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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. file — a tool
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. file — a document
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chest — a box
  24. pound — to hit hard

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