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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — a container
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. saw — the tool

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