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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — electric
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a dance
  14. current — of water
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — happening now
  24. leaves — to go away

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