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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: date · court · jam · fan · lean · mate · cap · mine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — of a king
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mine — an explosive

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