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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spell — a short time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fine — high quality
  7. date — the fruit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — an amount
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. firm — steady
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fine — all right
  17. can — a tin
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. date — on the calendar

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