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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — the season
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bear — the animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mate — a partner
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bore — to tire
  24. capital — money

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