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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — wild animals
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a match
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — the fruit
  20. land — a country
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — to bear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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