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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — a break
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. drill — army training
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pit — in a race
  14. snap — to click
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rest — what's left
  20. date — the fruit
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — the tool

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