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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — low music
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mate — to breed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mate — a partner
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — the fish

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