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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. date — on the calendar
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — army training
  24. racket — for tennis

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