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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. scale — in music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. march — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — to crush

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