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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pop — soda
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pass — a permit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — of ice
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pop — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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