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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rule — government
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tube — the underground
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. rule — a law
  23. toast — bread
  24. branch — of a bank

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