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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pop — to visit
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — wild animals
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pop — soda

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