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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · sharp · track · drill · pit · date · bowl · root

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. root — of a word
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — a path
  8. pit — in a race
  9. drill — army training
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — clever
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — a song
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. date — the fruit
  20. root — the cause
  21. track — to keep track
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — a hole

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