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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pound — a weight
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lean — thin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — final
  9. roll — a list
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — a cake
  13. season — in sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. last — finally
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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