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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pop — soda
  10. charge — in control
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a partner
  13. charge — a price
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — a friend
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. present — a gift
  22. mate — to breed
  23. present — there
  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