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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spell — letters
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — certain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pit — in a race
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — a trail
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a match
  23. spell — magic
  24. game — a kind of play

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