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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. game — a match
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. track — a path
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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