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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fall — the season
  8. club — for dancing
  9. staff — employees
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — of your body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — the fruit
  19. club — for golf
  20. rest — a break
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — a group
  24. chest — a box

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