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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. craft — boats
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — a match
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rash — a series
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mine — for digging
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. sharp — exactly

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