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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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