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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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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: date · foot · cell · game · stick · race · mate · clip

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cell — in biology
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — a phone
  10. game — wild animals
  11. date — the fruit
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — a contest
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mate — a partner
  19. race — humankind
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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