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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — finally
  14. club — a group
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. last — to go on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ball — a great time

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