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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rock — a stone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. current — happening now
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. current — electric
  17. game — a match
  18. rock — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. current — of water
  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