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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hand — help
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cue — for pool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. date — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cue — a hint
  15. club — a group
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. club — for golf
  19. ground — a position
  20. club — for dancing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hand — part of the body

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