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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. march — music
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — electric
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. pass — a permit
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rule — government
  21. scale — size or range
  22. current — of water
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. sharp — clever

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