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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — bread
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — the tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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