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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a line
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — in a road
  12. staff — employees
  13. club — a group
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — for golf
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for dancing
  24. date — the fruit

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