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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mark — a trace
  5. root — of a word
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. wake — a trail
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chip — to eat
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mark — a grade
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fine — all right
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — high quality
  24. coach — a trainer

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