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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pit — in a race
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — a path
  8. pit — a hole
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — final
  11. track — a song
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — finally
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — magic
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — a short time

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