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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. last — finally
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — a gift
  13. last — final
  14. shower — to wash
  15. date — the fruit
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — to go on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — animal skin

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