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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — the fruit
  12. march — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wake — a trail
  20. squash — the sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — a tin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chip — in a computer

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