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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. field — farmland
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. date — the fruit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — in a race

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