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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. face — part of the head
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. club — for golf
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to tire
  18. snap — to click
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. face — to confront

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