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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. date — the fruit
  3. object — an aim
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. object — a thing
  10. scale — in music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — all right
  15. object — to protest
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. season — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. season — of the year
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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