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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a document
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a grade
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. drill — army training
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cap — a hat

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