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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mate — a friend
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — low music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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