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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. swing — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — the fish
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bass — low music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. swing — in golf
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to click
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — an illness

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