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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. capital — a big letter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — a city
  6. board — to get on
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a music group
  16. dip — to sink
  17. capital — money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. board — a committee
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — to roll
  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