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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
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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 · hide · bay · date · pitcher · mark · chair · wound

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mark — a trace
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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