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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. date — the fruit
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spring — the season
  22. last — final
  23. bark — to shout
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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