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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — of a river
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — clever
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. scale — size or range
  20. march — the month
  21. face — part of the head
  22. march — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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