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

Word bank: wake · fork · deal · mark · wave · scale · mate · race

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. race — humankind
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — a friend
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mark — a trace
  10. race — the arms race
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. race — a contest
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. scale — size or range
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wake — a trail
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — to pay attention

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