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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: bear · cold · fine · safe · pop · arm · bat · date

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bat — the animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fine — all right
  16. bear — the animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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