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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — in music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — a box
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — rain
  19. root — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chest — of your body
  24. racket — a loud noise

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