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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. row — to paddle
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. date — the fruit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — there
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. march — the month
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. present — the time now

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