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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. date — the fruit
  5. march — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mate — a partner
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. season — in sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mate — to breed
  24. date — on the calendar

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