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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — in music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. content — happy
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cabinet — ministers

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