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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 settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — of the year
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mark — a grade
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a dance

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