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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — to protest
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. object — an aim
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. file — a tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — shares
  18. file — a document
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. object — a thing
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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