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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — in football
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — a tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mate — a partner
  12. dip — to sink
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. court — of law
  16. shower — rain
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mate — to breed

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