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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. last — finally
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — the month
  7. season — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. last — final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — in football

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