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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. march — the month
  12. scale — in music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. safe — a strongbox

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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