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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — final
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — to go on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. object — an aim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — finally
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. object — to protest
  19. spell — magic
  20. bound — certain
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. object — a thing
  23. spell — letters
  24. date — the fruit

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