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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. date — the fruit
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — a city
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — money
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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