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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — the fruit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. track — a path
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — there
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. club — for golf
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — to crush
  17. game — a match
  18. club — for dancing
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. club — a group
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. squash — the sport

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