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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. march — music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. squash — to crush
  15. deal — to handle
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — an agreement
  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