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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chip — for betting
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — in music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — not warm
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chip — to eat
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bound — obliged

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