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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. sharp — clever
  5. craft — boats
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. swing — music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — in golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — to play on
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wound — an injury
  24. craft — a skill

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