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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: last · drill · mate · leaves · date · rush · net · perch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — to breed
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — the tool

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