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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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. leaves — to go away
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. can — a tin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — a subject
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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