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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pop — music
  3. press — to push
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pop — soda
  10. present — a gift
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. present — the time now
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. present — there
  24. prune — the fruit

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