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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — money
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cold — an illness
  11. date — the fruit
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. land — ground
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cold — not warm
  20. capital — a city
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — of the year
  24. land — to come down

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