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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 · drill · rash · bulb · land · mate · pass · court

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. land — a country
  5. mate — a friend
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. court — of law
  9. drill — the tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — to come down
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — of a king
  18. land — ground
  19. mate — a partner
  20. court — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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