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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 propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. club — for dancing
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. club — a group
  17. hand — in cards
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — music
  24. toast — bread

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