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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — a division
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — in a race
  24. date — on the calendar

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