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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. date — the fruit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rash — a series
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wake — a trail
  24. key — in music

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