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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · date · jam · capital · wave · present · fine · last

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. present — a gift
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. last — to go on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. capital — a city
  12. last — finally
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. shower — rain
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. present — the time now
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. shower — to wash
  19. last — final
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fine — high quality
  22. present — there
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. jam — a tight spot

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