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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wake — a trail
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. shower — rain
  14. club — for dancing
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. dip — to sink
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. club — a group
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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