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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. club — a group
  6. toast — bread
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. date — the fruit
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — for betting
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stem — to come from

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