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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: pit · land · bat · mug · date · kick · bass · mate

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — a face
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — to rob
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kick — in football
  17. bass — low music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pit — a hole
  20. land — to come down
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — to breed

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