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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: sharp · row · cell · pop · last · hide · date · board

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cell — a phone
  3. date — the fruit
  4. row — a line
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. last — to go on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — to get on
  11. pop — music
  12. board — a committee
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — final
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — to paddle
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. last — finally
  24. row — a quarrel

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