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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: fan · date · nail · mark · fine · last · sharp · perch

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mark — a grade
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — to go on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — the fish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — finally
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. date — the fruit
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — final

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