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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: bat · court · date · safe · saw · pit · cap · wave

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — a hat
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cap — a lid
  17. court — of law
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pit — a hole
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pit — in a race

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