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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cell — in biology
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pound — a weight
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mark — a trace
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — a contest
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — a trail
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — to hit hard

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