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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. file — a document
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. file — a tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — rain
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. last — final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — finally
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — to pay attention

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