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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. march — music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. swing — in golf
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — for money
  24. swing — to play on

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