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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pop — soda
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wake — a trail

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