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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. sharp — clever
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. roll — a cake
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. roll — a list
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pop — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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