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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. march — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chest — a box
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — in cards

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