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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fall — the season
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lash — to lash out

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