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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — a face
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ruler — a monarch

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