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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: fall · charge · date · pit · safe · present · lean · chest

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lean — thin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. present — a gift
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — of your body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pit — in a race
  14. charge — in control
  15. chest — a box
  16. present — there
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fall — the season
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — a price
  24. fall — to drop

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