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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — a trail
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. date — the fruit
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — to wash
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ruler — for measuring

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