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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. charge — a price
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mate — to breed
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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