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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: fall · wake · date · foot · fork · mate · mine · cap

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mate — to breed
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cap — a lid
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — to drop

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