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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. firm — a company
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pop — music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. firm — steady
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — all right
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — soda
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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