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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. march — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rest — a break
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — a short time
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — magic
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — clever
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. date — the fruit

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