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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pass — a permit
  16. march — music
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — a coil
  20. row — a line
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. pass — to spend time

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