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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — a short time
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — finally
  10. board — a committee
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — magic
  16. charge — a price
  17. bound — tied together
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. charge — electricity
  22. board — to get on
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — the fruit

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