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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bank — for money
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bank — for money
  24. spring — the season

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