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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — music
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. march — music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. club — for dancing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. staff — a stick

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