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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · scale · coach · bound · pass · mark · march · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. scale — in music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — certain
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. coach — a trainer

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