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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — a signal
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of law
  10. pop — soda
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — to visit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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