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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — after costs
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — in sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chip — for betting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mug — a face
  19. chip — to eat
  20. track — a path
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chip — in a computer

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