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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bat — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. firm — steady
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — the month
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. toast — bread
  17. march — the month
  18. club — a group
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. firm — decided
  22. march — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — the fruit

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