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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — hasty
  6. scale — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — size or range
  13. press — newspapers
  14. date — the fruit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — clever

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