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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — certain
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. march — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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