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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lean — thin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cell — a phone
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — to get on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. march — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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