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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 · capital · rush · squash · present · court · toast · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. season — of the year
  5. present — the time now
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. capital — a city
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. capital — money
  12. season — in sport
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. rush — hurry
  24. court — for sport

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