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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. date — the fruit
  4. suit — to fit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. field — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. suit — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — finally
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — to go on
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — a loud noise

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