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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. march — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. toast — bread
  6. march — the month
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — for golf
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mug — a face
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mug — to rob
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — what's left
  21. club — a group
  22. ground — a position
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rest — what's left

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