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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — army training
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fall — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. drill — the tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. sharp — exactly

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