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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: chest · rest · mark · shower · sharp · dip · date · craft

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. rest — a break
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a trace
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. dip — to sink
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. sharp — with an edge

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