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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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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: mate · clip · can · club · rush · mine · season · date

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. can — a tin
  8. club — for golf
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — in sport
  11. club — a group
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — a video
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mine — an explosive

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