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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: squash · foot · shower · season · mine · date · march · mate

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. march — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. season — of the year
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mate — to breed
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — for digging
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — a measure

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