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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lean — thin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — not warm

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