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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. present — the time now
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. present — a gift
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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