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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mate — a friend
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mate — to breed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. scale — in music

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