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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a trace
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mate — a friend
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. land — ground
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lean — thin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. date — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. land — to come down

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