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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: bore · date · fan · season · temple · jam · mate · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — in sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. squash — to crush
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — of the year
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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