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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. march — the month
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pop — soda
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pass — a permit
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. club — for 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