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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: bank · squash · date · ball · rest · drill · march · cue

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — a break
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — to crush
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bank — of a river
  24. ball — a great time

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