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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · wake · fall · date · wind · net · chip · bore

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — a trail
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — after costs
  5. chip — to eat
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — the season
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bore — to drill
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — to tire
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chip — for betting
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — gave birth

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