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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. board — a committee
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. board — to get on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — to rip
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — to sink
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. cap — of ice
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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