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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — to breed
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lean — thin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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