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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. row — to paddle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — finally
  10. march — music
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — clever
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. last — to go on
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. toast — bread

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