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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · bay · fall · sharp · bear · foot

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — the season
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. foot — a measure

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