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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chest — a box
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — on the calendar

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