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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — finally
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — the season
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. object — an aim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. object — to protest
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — final
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. march — the month

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