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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. vault — a safe
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. roll — a list
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — in an idiom

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