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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — in sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. land — ground
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. land — a country
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. club — for golf
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — of the year
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — a group

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