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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. club — for dancing
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. present — the time now
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cold — an illness
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — to go on
  15. present — a gift
  16. toast — bread
  17. row — a line
  18. club — for golf
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cold — not warm
  23. club — a group
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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