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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — clever
  24. march — music

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