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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. march — music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mate — a partner
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — government
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mate — a friend
  12. press — to push
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — in a road
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — to breed
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. key — the most important part

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