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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. march — the month
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. field — a subject
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — farmland
  16. march — music
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — a stone
  23. suit — to fit
  24. sharp — clever

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