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

Word bank: date · rest · squash · cold · object · pit · swing · last

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. last — final
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pit — in a race
  11. object — to protest
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rest — a break
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. last — finally
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — to go on

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