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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pass — a permit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — clever
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. drill — army training
  23. craft — boats
  24. season — to add flavour

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