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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tube — a container
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — an aim
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. foot — a measure

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