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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — a grade
  5. object — an aim
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. net — for catching
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. net — in sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. object — a thing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — after costs

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