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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to click
  6. march — the month
  7. season — in sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — a signal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cue — a hint
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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