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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stem — to come from
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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