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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bore — to tire
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wake — a trail
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — decided
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spell — magic
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. firm — a company
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bore — to drill
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. firm — steady
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wound — an injury
  24. scale — in music

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