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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. season — in sport
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. roll — a cake
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. last — final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rock — music

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