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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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