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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a great time
  6. object — an aim
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — a trail
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — for catching
  13. object — to protest
  14. mate — a friend
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — a thing

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