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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. net — for catching
  5. march — music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. net — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — the month
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — after costs
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spell — magic
  24. can — a tin

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