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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spring — of water
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. march — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. net — in sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. toast — bread
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — the season
  15. branch — a division
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — a coil
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — music
  20. march — the month
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rock — to move gently

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