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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. club — a group
  7. toast — bread
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a hat
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — rain
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. club — for dancing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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