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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: lean · ball · club · march · dip · capital · date · last

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — finally
  6. club — for dancing
  7. march — music
  8. capital — a city
  9. march — the month
  10. last — to go on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a great time
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — the month
  19. last — final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lean — to bend

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