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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fan · land · key · lie · tear · march · net

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — music
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lie — to recline
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — to cool the air

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