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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. land — to come down
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — a partner
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. land — a country
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cold — not warm
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — ground

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