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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: mate · land · mug · pit · fine · cold · cabinet · lash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — a country
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pit — in a race
  12. land — to come down
  13. fine — all right
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — a face
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mate — to breed
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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