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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: lean · net · date · wound · fine · present · sharp · dip

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — there
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. net — after costs
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — thin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — all right
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. present — the time now
  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