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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: kid · date · mate · leaves · lie · race · fork · saw

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. race — humankind
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — to tease

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