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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. date — the fruit
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mate — to breed
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — a list
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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