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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'd like to play a game 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. squash — to crush
  4. cap — a hat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — for sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a music group
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. snap — to click
  16. toast — bread
  17. cap — of ice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — of law
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the sport

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