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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · bank · bowl · deal · pitcher · squash · date · sharp

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — of a river
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — magic
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spell — a short time
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — letters
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bank — for money

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