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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — low music
  6. club — for golf
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — of the year
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. snap — to click
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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