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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a leader

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