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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spring — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spring — of water

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