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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. date — the fruit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — in music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — letters
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — ministers

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