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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · mark · date · trunk · bat · row · chest · pop

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a line
  7. chest — a box
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chest — of your body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — the animal
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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