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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 · squash · trunk · sharp · net · present · swing · deal

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. present — a gift
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. present — there
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — to play on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. swing — music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. net — in sport
  21. date — the fruit
  22. net — after costs
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. present — the time now

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