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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
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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: fork · cabinet · date · court · prune · cold · track · mate

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — to breed
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. track — to keep track
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cold — not warm
  14. court — for sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a partner
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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