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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: date · game · bear · jam · prune · file · toast · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. swing — in golf
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. file — a document
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. swing — music
  14. toast — bread
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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