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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — the fruit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. branch — a division

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