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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: dip · rest · bat · bulb · mate · date · present · season

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rest — a break
  14. present — there
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mate — to breed
  22. present — the time now
  23. mate — a friend
  24. date — on the calendar

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