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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. present — the time now
  3. spell — letters
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. present — a gift
  10. spell — a short time
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. present — there
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a great time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bat — the animal

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