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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — a trail
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — magic
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — to keep track
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — in cards
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. track — a song
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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