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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — help
  5. track — a song
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — in cards
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. track — a path
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. track — to keep track

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