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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — to fit
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. current — happening now
  8. suit — in cards
  9. land — a country
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — ground
  12. court — of a king
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stock — shares

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