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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. date — the fruit
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — of the year
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a music group
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — after costs
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — the fish
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ball — a great time

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