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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — to go on
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. charge — electricity
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. staff — employees
  20. charge — a price
  21. mark — a grade
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. last — final
  24. charge — in control

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