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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: can · game · club · march · toast · date · foot · spring

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. can — a tin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — for golf
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. date — the fruit
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — a match
  24. can — to be able to

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