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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. season — in sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a ring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — a friend
  22. season — of the year
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wind — moving air

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