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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: lash · present · file · cap · pit · chest · mate · date

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chest — a box
  4. present — a gift
  5. chest — of your body
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cap — a lid
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chest — of your body
  19. file — a tool
  20. present — there
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pit — in a race

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