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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 · stand · cabinet · hand · pit · squash · mug · bowl

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mug — a face
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mug — to rob
  18. squash — to crush
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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