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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — clever
  10. suit — to fit
  11. present — there
  12. pit — in a race
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cap — of ice
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. present — a gift
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. present — the time now

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