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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — size or range
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — to eat
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. date — the fruit
  12. shower — rain
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. scale — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. foot — part of the body

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