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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rock — a stone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ball — a round shape

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