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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: mate · bat · date · fork · lean · board · cabinet · rest

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rest — a break
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. board — to get on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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