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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — government
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. last — final
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rule — a law
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. perch — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. perch — for a bird

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