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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fine — all right
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chip — to eat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a path
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. track — a song
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bay — a horse colour

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