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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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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: date · ruler · fall · row · sharp · rest · swing · can

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — to play on
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — to be able to
  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