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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mark — a trace
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — in sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — soda

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