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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 · sharp · cap · fine · last · file · present · jam

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. last — final
  4. file — a document
  5. present — there
  6. cap — of ice
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — high quality
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fine — all right
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — finally
  24. date — the fruit

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