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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. dip — to sink
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rest — a break
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — of a king
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of law
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — for sport
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. sharp — clever
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — to go on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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