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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 124 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — clever
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a leader
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. present — there
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fine — a penalty

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