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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. suit — clothes
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. club — a group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — for golf

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