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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — in music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. present — a gift
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — size or range
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. face — to confront
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cap — a hat
  23. present — there
  24. lean — thin

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