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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. last — final
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. last — finally
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — for pool
  20. club — a group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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