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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — the fruit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. last — to go on
  10. clip — a video
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — final
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — a group
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. last — finally
  23. toast — bread
  24. club — for dancing

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