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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — the fish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. snap — to click
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — music
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. perch — for a bird

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