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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — a country
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a document
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — a friend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. file — a tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — ground

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