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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. ground — a position
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. present — there
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — electric
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — the month
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. current — happening now

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