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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chip — to eat
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rock — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spell — letters
  16. chip — for betting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. hand — help
  20. rock — a stone
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — a short time

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