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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in biology
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. march — the month
  12. last — to go on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — final
  15. suit — clothes
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. march — music
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. last — finally
  24. suit — to fit

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