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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — in sport
  8. pop — music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hand — in cards
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hand — help
  24. pass — a permit

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