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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: face · key · date · season · dip · drill · net · stand

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. season — in sport
  3. date — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. face — to confront
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. drill — the tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — army training
  17. face — to point toward
  18. drill — a practice
  19. dip — to sink
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stand — for spectators

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