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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. track — to keep track
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — to recline
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a path
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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