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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
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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: mate · squash · march · date · clip · spring · bowl · coach

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — for paper
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — to cut
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mate — a friend
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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