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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. race — humankind
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — a contest
  14. spell — magic
  15. wake — a trail
  16. race — the arms race
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spell — letters

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