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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: bowl · date · mate · pitcher · game · tube · mark · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mate — a friend
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — a match
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mate — to breed
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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