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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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 — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. rash — a series
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a signal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  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