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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — music
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — clever
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bank — for money
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bank — for money
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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