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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. suit — in cards
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. sharp — clever
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hand — help
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — the fruit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. suit — to fit
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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