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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · bound · saw · sharp · mate · date · pit · dip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — final
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — to breed
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. last — to go on
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pit — in a race
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mate — a friend
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — obliged
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bound — tied together

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