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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rock — a stone
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. date — the fruit
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rock — music
  17. march — the month
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. drill — army training

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