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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. object — a thing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — a stick
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. mark — a grade
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pass — a permit
  21. object — to protest
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — an aim
  24. pop — soda

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