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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · present · pit · nail · mine · trunk · pass · game

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — for digging
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a hole
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. present — the time now
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — a gift
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — the fruit

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