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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. last — final
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. press — to push
  7. present — there
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mate — to breed
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — a friend

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