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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: court · date · mate · plane · snap · game · jam · prune

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. snap — to click
  5. court — of law
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — a friend
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — the fruit
  11. plane — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mate — to breed
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — 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