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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rock — a stone
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — a lid
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rush — hurry
  17. field — a subject
  18. rock — music
  19. bass — low music
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cap — a hat
  23. march — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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