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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. shower — to wash
  6. march — music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. march — the month
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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