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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — in music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. game — a match
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. scale — size or range
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bank — of a river
  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