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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — letters
  4. press — a publisher
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — to handle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — the sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. file — a tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — to crush
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spell — a short time
  21. file — a document
  22. date — the fruit
  23. press — to push
  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