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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: suit · mug · wind · track · chair · march · ball · sharp

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. sharp — clever
  3. suit — to fit
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — a face
  8. suit — in cards
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chair — a leader
  12. track — a path
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — a cup
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. march — music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. suit — clothes
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wind — moving air

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