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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 · mate · spring · roll · pop · deal · cabinet · lie

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a friend
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mate — to breed
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — to visit
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — the season
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pop — music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — soda
  23. date — the fruit
  24. spring — of water

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