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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. roll — a list
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. sharp — clever
  19. roll — a cake
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — in sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — final

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