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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — a partner
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. snap — to click
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mine — for digging
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — a box
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bear — the animal

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