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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bass — low music
  8. mug — a face
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mug — to rob
  13. toast — bread
  14. spell — letters
  15. bass — the fish
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spell — magic
  24. can — to be able to

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