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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a music group
  4. date — the fruit
  5. band — a ring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — of the year
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — a series
  19. season — in sport
  20. mate — a friend
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kick — a thrill

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