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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. date — the fruit
  5. swing — in golf
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — bread
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. game — wild animals
  23. field — farmland
  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