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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — hurry
  4. shower — rain
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chair — a leader
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lie — to recline

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