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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spell — letters
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — a subject
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. field — farmland
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — for sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pop — music
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — completely
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — soda
  24. mark — a trace

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