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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 · date · stand · foot · spell · deal · fall · wake

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spell — letters
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stand — to bear
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. date — the fruit
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

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