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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — not warm
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mark — a grade
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — farmland
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. march — music

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