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

Word bank: mug · bat · rock · straw · fall · stick · date · bear

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fall — the season
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rock — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rock — a stone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bat — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mug — a face
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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