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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. date — the fruit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — a country
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mark — a trace
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — to confront
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a friend
  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