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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. dip — to sink
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for golf
  8. chip — to eat
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. branch — a division
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chip — for betting
  22. club — a group
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — the most important part

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