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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — clever
  3. firm — a company
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. roll — a cake
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. mate — to breed
  15. roll — a list
  16. firm — decided
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ground — crushed
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — a container
  24. firm — steady

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