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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spell — magic
  8. firm — a company
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. firm — decided
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitch — completely
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — final
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — to go on
  21. spring — the season
  22. firm — steady
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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