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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. toast — bread
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. craft — boats
  19. march — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cold — not warm

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