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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — a friend
  3. date — the fruit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. track — a song
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. tear — to rip
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tear — from crying
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — with your hand

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