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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: last · sharp · date · ruler · bear · hand · stick · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hand — in cards
  4. sharp — clever
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — final
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. date — the fruit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. last — finally
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — with an edge

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