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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — final
  7. press — newspapers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. press — to push
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bowl — a football final

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