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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a partner
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — the fruit
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — child
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. net — in sport
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mate — a friend

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