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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — a gift
  5. wake — a trail
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. present — the time now
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. march — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. firm — decided
  20. present — there
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cell — a phone
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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