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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mug — a cup
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. swing — to play on
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. march — the month
  20. mug — a face
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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