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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — to grow
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — thin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pop — soda
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — music

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