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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: ball · last · sharp · safe · pop · deal · date · rest

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a dance
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — to visit
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — clever
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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