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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a line
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. row — to paddle
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — to rob
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rock — music
  24. mug — a face

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