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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — a short time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — a permit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — letters
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. march — the month
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. march — the month
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. date — the fruit
  17. object — to protest
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spell — magic
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. racket — a loud noise

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