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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mark — a grade
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — low music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — to fit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — the fish

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