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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.

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: cabinet · pass · mine · date · bat · face · kid · leaves

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. date — the fruit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kid — child
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. face — to confront
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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