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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a committee
  11. band — a ring
  12. game — a match
  13. pit — a hole
  14. last — to go on
  15. pit — in a race
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. last — final
  22. board — to get on
  23. game — wild animals
  24. deal — to handle

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