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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — in football
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. staff — employees
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. last — final
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — a stick
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mate — a friend

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