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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. plane — a tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — moving air
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chip — for betting
  20. present — the time now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — in music

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