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

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — a country
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. last — final
  7. bank — for money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. last — finally
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — ground
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — to come down

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