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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cap — a hat
  9. march — music
  10. pop — music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rock — a stone
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rock — 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