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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. march — music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — a position
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — to visit
  24. sharp — clever

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