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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to sink
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. last — to go on
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. row — a line
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rock — a stone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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