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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. last — finally
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — to go on
  24. mouse — the animal

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