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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. present — the time now
  8. fork — in a road
  9. present — a gift
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — there
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. sharp — with an edge

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