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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 taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — to visit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — completely
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pop — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pop — soda
  13. foot — a measure
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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