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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mug — a face
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. last — final
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — the fish
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bass — low music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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