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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — in sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pop — music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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