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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. rock — music
  9. present — the time now
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rock — a stone
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. march — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — to rule out

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